Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a user protection method using a smart phone case and, more particularly, to a user protection method using a smart phone case for automatically calling for rescue and protecting and defending the user who carries the smart phone from threats to the user in an emergency situation.
Description of Related Art
Generally, mobile devices feature wireless communication capabilities, and may perform various value-added services using the wireless communication function.
For example, among the value-added services there may be a function to measure and track the position of a mobile device, and the method for tracking the position of the mobile device may be performed by the mobile device itself or by a base station.
In the case that the mobile device is to measure its own position, the mobile device may be equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine its position with signals received from GPS satellites.
In the case that a base station is to track the position of the mobile device, multiple base stations may receive pilot signals transmitted from the mobile device and determine the position of the mobile device using triangulation.
Such a method for locating a mobile device using the GPS or the base station must be used in position tracking and tracing services. For example, students on their home from school, working women on their way home from their workplaces, or elderly people may be likely to be exposed to accidents or crimes, in which case the position tracking and tracing service of their mobile devices may be used to declare their emergency situations.
Examining the method for processing emergency relief messages in portable terminal with reference to FIG. 1, the method is implemented by a system including a portable terminal 70 that contains an emergency relief message in a text message format and sends out the message once the user has pressed an emergency relief button 73, and an emergency relief center server 72 that tracks the position of the portable terminal 70 upon reception of the emergency relief message from the portable terminal 70 through a base station 71 located on the transmission path of the message and instructs an emergency relief activity.
In the conventional operation of the portable terminal for emergency relief, the user of the portable terminal first sets an emergency relief message in a text message format in his/her terminal at a non-emergency time. After the emergency relief message is set, if the user of the portable terminal happens to be in danger and needs emergency relief assistance, the user has only to press the emergency relief button on the portable terminal. Once the emergency relief button is pressed, the portable terminal automatically sends the stored emergency relief message to the emergency relief center server via the base station. Accordingly, upon reception of the emergency relief message from a portable terminal, the emergency relief center server tracks the position of the portable terminal through a base station located on the transmission path of the message and carries out proper emergency relief assistance.
However, in the conventional method for processing emergency relief messages from a portable terminal, the user who is in danger must press the emergency relief button to request emergency relief from an emergency relief center, but it may be very difficult for the user to press the emergency relief button in an emergency situation, or the user cannot make the emergency relief request at all when he or she is involved in an accident or is being victimized in a crime.
Moreover, if the user inadvertently presses the emergency relief button while carrying the portable terminal in his/her pocket or bag, the emergency relief call may possibly be received by an associated agency, thereby causing unnecessary mobilization even if the user is not in an emergency situation.
In this regard, in reality it is hard for an emergency assistance agency to provide assistance because it is difficult to determine based on text message alone whether the emergency relief call is genuine. Furthermore, real-time communications between agencies are not being adequately carried out, thereby hampering swift emergency assistance response and failing to prevent collateral damage to a victim who is already in an emergency situation.
Recently, many smart phones applications have been developed to assist in an emergency situation, but running these applications in an actual emergency situation requires multi-stage data entry or touching of the device and thus, even if the place under an emergency situation is known, the spot may not be accessed timely.